Dry conditions during cell division and enlargement resulted in smaller berries, which benefited grape quality. Excellent flavour, as well as colour profiles, were observed, said wine industry organisation Vinpro in its ‘South African Wine Harvest Report 2023’.

“Wine lovers can look forward to high-quality wines from this season. Smaller berries driven by the dry conditions during the cell division and enlargement stage benefited grape quality to deliver excellent flavour and colour profiles,” says Vinpro consultation services manager Conrad Schutte.

The 2023 wine harvest, including juice and concentrate for non-alcoholic purposes, wine for brandy, and distilling wine, is estimated to amount to 917.2-million litres, at a recovery of 777 litres per tonne of grapes.

“Despite what was by all accounts a challenging harvest for our winemakers, we are positive that we can look forward to superb 2023 vintage wines to share with our consumers around the world. We have seen the demand for South African wines grow and anticipate our wines will continue to deliver the excellent quality we are becoming known for,” says Wines of South Africa (WoSA) CEO Siobhan Thompson.

For the Cape South Coast region, the early-season wines reflect an excellent vintage, while the late-season wines showcase the expertise and ingenuity of the winemaking teams. In the Cape Town growing region, the 2023 season set the table for excellent, fresh wine styles and lower volumes owing to natural factors leading up to the harvest.

Courtesy of Engineering News – read full article here.